Eastman wants a trilogy with Hopkins?

[AintGottaClue]

Eastman planning Hopkins trilogy

Howard Eastman is hoping that Bernard Hopkins will honour his commitment to a rematch of their closely fought battle for the undisputed world middleweight Championship at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Pound for pound king Hopkins told Eastman’s promoter Mick Hennessy that Eastman deserved a second showdown following his outstanding effort. For the Londoner, it can’t come soon enough.

“I would like to thank Bernard Hopkins for this opportunity,” Eastman said. “I hope he will give me another one.
“He doesn’t have to move up light heavyweight just yet (to fight Glencoffe Johnson).

“There is plenty of business left at middleweight. And we don’t need to be bringing in any other guys either.

“Jermain Taylor for instance isn’t the calibre of fighter Bernard Hopkins is.

“No disrespect, I would love to fight him as well, but I want Bernard Hopkins.

“Lets do it one more time; then I will even the score. Then we can do it a third time. After that we can look at the other guys.”

So why does Eastman believe things will be different the second time around?

“I will fight 12 hard rounds toe to toe,” he explains.

“I couldn’t stick to my game plan tonight. I wanted to get inside and work close, but every time I got near Hopkins the referee called for a break.

“I was fighting two guys in there. The referee kept interrupting what two fighters have got to do.

“Like I say, next time round I will work on going 12 rounds toe to toe. Not that it will go the distance.”

By going to war Eastman will hope that he can deny Hopkins the chance to get on his bike again.

He added: “He ran for the whole fight; it was his strategy; he knew he had to get away from me.

“I don’t blame him for fighting that sort of fight; he did what he had to do. He was doing his job.

“But I just think that a champion should box like a champion. He should come to fight like I did, not run. I came to his backyard and I was the aggressor the whole time in there.

“It takes two guys to fight.”

[spinksjinx]

The ref did the same thing Nady did to Ruiz. Everytime the fighters would get close he would step in, which is what won Jones the heavyweight title....But also Bernard is a mover, it wouldnt have mattered Hopkins running and counter punching Eastmans punches all night was the main factor in Hopkins winning that fight.

[TyrantT316]

Hopkins won't even waste his breath on responding..no point

[jack_the_rippuh]

If there is a rematch, Hopkins will knock 'em out...remember after the 20 defences the belts won't mean anything to him anymore, so he's going to go all out in thier rematch..

[Guest]

If there is a rematch, Hopkins will knock 'em out...remember after the 20 defences the belts won't mean anything to him anymore, so he's going to go all out in thier rematch..

As if! Didn't you clock Mr. Nuff Tump's chin?

[m00ks]

Man got beat and he ain't happy. So's everybody else who lost to Hopkins. Point being, he had ONE shot to step up, ONE opportunity to take be champ and he couln't do anything to take away the title from Hopkins. B-hop will just bat him again in a rematch. No point.

[ELPacman]

I said this somewhere else and I'll say it here. Who do they want to attend this rematch? I'm sure only the promoters and ref will be there because not even the HBO commentary would want to see this.

[oldgringo]

Man got beat and he ain't happy. So's everybody else who lost to Hopkins. Point being, he had ONE shot to step up, ONE opportunity to take be champ and he couln't do anything to take away the title from Hopkins. B-hop will just bat him again in a rematch. No point.

Exactimundo...there was no evidence in that fight to suggest that Eastman would see any other outcome in a rematch. He's simply outclassed and outwitted.

[BUSTA-KO]

B-Hop is approaching the end of his career due to father time and wants Big fights= Big Money...Do u blame him? He'll have 2 or 3 more fights and then he's outta the game. Eastman should have put on a better fight that night because he won't get another crack at B-hop's titles until B-hop retires.

[Cletus Funk]

Man got beat and he ain't happy. So's everybody else who lost to Hopkins. Point being, he had ONE shot to step up, ONE opportunity to take be champ and he couln't do anything to take away the title from Hopkins. B-hop will just bat him again in a rematch. No point.

I'd have to agree. I saw nothing in the fight that would make me think that Eastman would win a rematch, Hopkins could do that all day to him. He'd have a chance if Hopkins decided to stand and fight but why should he? Eastman just didn't have the hand speed to land enough from distance and that's not going to change. He probably could have made it closer had he been allowed to work inside by the ref though.

I'd have to say that I wasn't impressed by Hopkins either. His defense was great but offensively he looked awkward apart from the left hook and straight right leads and counters. He looked off balance every time he came forward to try and throw combos. A better/faster technician than Eastman would have given him hell on that performance.